The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration is seeking comment on a proposal to issue annual incidental
harassment permits to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida for air-to-surface
weapons testing. The permit is valid for a period of five years and
will expire in 2011.

The
U.S. Air Force is requesting the
permit while conducting precision strike weapons tests in the Gulf
of Mexico off the coast of Florida. Incidental harassment of dolphins
and small whales may occur as the result of air-to-surface impacts.

Weapons
testing would occur two to four times per year and launched from aircraft
to targets located approximately 15 to 24 nautical miles offshore
of the Eglin base. Targets
are floating platforms and barges, and detonations could potentially
affect marine mammals.

Under the proposal, no detonations will
occur if marine mammals or sea turtles are detected within a predetermined
safety zone designed to protect marine species from hearing impairment,
injury or mortality. NOAA Fisheries Service has preliminarily determined
that these detonations will not result in more than incidental harassment
of marine mammals and would have no more than a negligible impact
on these stocks.

An authorization under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act is warranted to protect marine life in the vicinity
of the exercise. The implementation of extensive mitigation and monitoring
measures, including vessel and aerial marine mammal surveys prior
to the firing exercises, will assist in limiting impacts to bottlenose
dolphins, spotted dolphins, and dwarf and pygmy sperm whales that
may be in the vicinity of the detonations to behavioral harassment.

The
NOAA Fisheries Service will accept comments on the application and
proposed authorization through Sept. 4, 2006. Please address comments
to Michael Payne, Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division,
Office of Protected Resources, NOAA Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. A copy of the application and Federal
Register notice can be obtained by contacting the same office
or online at:http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental.htm#iha

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